I have no
merchandise to barter, nothing for trade with you, for you buy such
things as I will never sell: you buy men's souls for Hell. I come only
to beg that you will release the poor souls whom you have bought for
Satan's kingdom, and will have mercy on my ignorant people and deceive
them no more. I have yet some gold unspent and jewels unsold: take all
there is but let my people go free." Then the merchants laughed aloud
scornfully, and rejected her offer. "Would you have us undo our work?
Have we toiled, then, for naught to extend our master's sway? Have we
won for him so many souls to dwell for ever in his kingdom and do his
work, and shall we give them back for your entreaties? We have gold
enough, and food and wine enough, fair lady. The souls we have bought
we keep, for our master gives us honour and rank proportioned to the
number of souls we win for him, and you may see by the golden circlets
round our brows that we are princes of his kingdom, and have brought
him countless souls. Nevertheless, there is one most rare and precious
thing which could redeem these bartered souls of Ireland's peasants,
things of little worth."

They Make a Proposal

"Oh, what is that?" said the Countess. "If I have it, or can in any
way procure it, tell me, that I may redeem these deluded people's
souls."

"You have it now, fair saint. It is one pure soul, precious as
multitudes of more sin-stained souls. Our master would far rather have
a perfect and flawless pearl for his diadem than myriads of these
cracked and flawed crystals. Your soul, most saintly Countess, would
redeem the souls of all your tribe, if you would sell it to our king;
it would be the fairest jewel in his crown. But think not to save your
people otherwise, and beguile them no longer with false promises of
help: your messenger to Ulster lies sick of ague in the Bog of Allen,
and no food comes from England."

False Tidings

"We saw a man
Heavy with sickness in the Bog of Allen
Whom you had bid buy cattle. Near Fair Head
We saw your grain ships lying all becalmed
In the dark night, and not less still than they
Burned all their mirrored lanterns in the sea."

When Cathleen heard of the failure of her messengers to bring food it
seemed as if all hope were indeed over, and the demons smiled craftily
upon her as she turned silently to go, and laughed joyously to each
other when she had left their presenc